Raw Vegetable and Egg Salad with Peanut Sauce

Works as a meal or an appetizer, and super fun to assemble! Photos complements of Lourdes Aleman.

Ingredients for Peanut Sauce:
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
2" piece of ginger, grated
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup peanut better (freshly ground)
2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons coconut milk (optional)
green onions for garnish

In a shallow saucepan, sautee onions for three to five minutes, then add ginger and garlic and continue to sautee until onions are translucent. Add the vinegar and the sauce sauce. If using brown sugar crystals (also called turbinado sugar), disolve the crystals in 1 cup of boiling water and pour the mixture into the saucepan. If using regular brown sugar, you may add the sugar and water separately. The mixture will look like a dark brown broth. Add the peanut butter into the saucepan and allow it to disolve; this process may take five to seven minutes. As the sauce begins to boil, bring to a simmer. Add the fishsauce and if using coconut milk, add that, as well. Use a handheld blender and a few tablespoons of water to create the consistency you desire.